Self-directed investing
Alto enables investors to expand what retirement capital can do
How Alto streamlines self-directed investing
Alto provides the custody, compliance and operational infrastructure that makes private market access possible for investors, advisors, issuers and platforms.
Individual investors
Open a self-directed IRA and invest across Alto Marketplace and partner platforms, or bring your own deal through a private deal room.
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Financial advisors and family offices
Give clients self-directed IRA access to private market alternatives with full portfolio visibility, transparent pricing, and a platform built for advisor-managed accounts.
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Issuers and fund managers
Accept self-directed IRA capital with no technical integration required.
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Financial institutions and platforms
Embed self-directed IRA capabilities into an existing platform through Alto's white-labeled custody, execution, and reporting infrastructure.
Retirement capital and private market convergence
Demand for private market access is expanding across wealth segments, and the retirement system sits at the center of that shift. Several converging forces are driving this:
Companies are staying private longer, with a significant share of value creation occurring before any public listing
High-net-worth investors already hold 55% of their wealth in retirement accounts and allocate meaningfully toward alternatives3
IRAs are the largest U.S. retirement account category by assets at over $18 trillion1, yet remain substantially underallocated to private markets
Self-directed accounts continue to grow as job switching, gig economy expansion and baby boomer rollovers drive steady inflows
Deploying even a fraction of that capital expands the fundraising landscape for issuers, gives investors greater control over their retirement savings, and creates new opportunities for advisors and platforms serving both.
1 Investment Company Institute. The U.S. Retirement Market, Fourth Quarter 2024. As of December 31, 2025.
2 Source: Alto proprietary research report, Tomorrow’s Retirement Is Here: Why Alternatives Are No Longer Optional, based on a survey of over 1,000 U.S. adults and third-party data (Alto IRA, July 22, 2025).
3 CNBC Select. "High-Net-Worth Individuals Have Over Half Their Wealth in IRAs and 401(k)s." CNBC, April 5, 2024.
Tax advantages of investing in private markets through a self-directed IRA
How you hold a private market investment matters as much as which one you choose.
Example is for illustration purposes only and does not represent a specific past, current or future investment.
*Assumes an income tax rate of 12% at the time of withdrawal as income tax rates generally decrease upon retirement.
**Assumes a long term capital gains rate of 20%
Actual tax rates are subject to each tax payer’s personal situation and circumstances.
Duration matching: Why self-directed IRAs are a natural fit for private markets
Private market investments are illiquid by nature, often requiring 5 to 10 years before an exit. Self-directed IRA assets are long-horizon by design. That alignment, often known as duration matching, benefits every participant in the ecosystem:
Investors
Investors benefit from a tax-efficient vehicle for illiquid assets without tying up liquid capital
Issuers
Issuers can access patient, committed capital from a pool largely untapped by traditional fundraising
Financial institutions and platforms
Financial institutions and platforms can offer private market products to a capital base whose time horizon is structurally suited to holding them
Learn more about self-directed IRAs
For a comprehensive overview of self-directed IRA types, contribution rules, funding options, and regulatory considerations, visit Alto's self-directed IRA guide.
Work with Alto
Whether the goal is expanding distribution, enabling advisor access, or building self-directed IRA infrastructure for a platform's users, Alto provides the infrastructure to make it happen.